Anna Weller ’24, a Psychology major, studied abroad in the fall of 2022 on the Carleton Cross Cultural Psychology in Prague program.
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A lot has happened since our last post! An unpleasant encounter with illness forced us to postpone several events, and for the past two weeks my services as program assistant were needed elsewhere. To catch up with where we are now, we have a lot of ground to cover – and a lot of photos to showcase!
On Saturday, October 8th, we departed in the morning for Český Krumlov, a beautifully restored medieval town in the southwest of the Czech Republic. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 due to its mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural styles.
The Chateau Český Krumlov stands on the left and the Cloak Bridge in the center.
To reach the hotel we walked directly under the Cloak Bridge, named after the fortifications which used to protect the west side of the castle. We also crossed a bridge over the Vltava River, which you may recognize as the very same river that flows beneath the Charles Bridge in Prague.
The State Castle, seen in the background above, was built sometime before the year 1250 by the Lords of Krumlov. It passed between several influential families during the medieval era and the subsequent reign of the Habsburg Empire, including the Rosenbergs in 1302, the Eggenbergs shortly after 1602, and later the Schwarzenbergs in 1719.
After touring the castle museum and peering down into the bear moat (you read that right), we ate dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant. We received a pleasant surprise in the form of a Romani band who gave us a private performance full of dancing songs played at a fever pitch. I can’t think of a better way to end a night.
Activity: Dancing the night away. Photo courtesy of Lev.
Next up: Český Krumlov Part 2, followed by Kutna Hora. Dobré odpoledne!